It’s the final countdown: Microsoft will stop supporting Windows XP in less than 500 days

Windows XP, Microsoft’s longest-running OS, will officially be put out to pasture on April 8, 2014, according to Computerworld. On that date, Microsoft will end support for the system after 12 years and five months. The time has clearly come for XP now that Microsoft is pushing harder than ever to get Windows 8 to take off.

However, Windows XP is still a popular system. Data from Net Applications shows that the OS powered 40.7 percent of desktop and notebook personal computers that went online worldwide last month. In fact, Net Applications has projected that by the XP end date, the OS will be powering between 27 percent and 29 percent of the world’s computers. That popularity means that some user confusion is inevitable as people make the switch or if they miss the memo about the company support ending. Microsoft has released a countdown clock that marks the days until the transition, but it only runs on Windows 7, which seems to be adding insult to injury.

Microsoft has actually been pushing to kill the OS for years. It first ordered manufacturers to stop pre-installing XP on new computers back in October 2010. The company then launched another campaign in 2011 to encourage both enterprise businesses and home users to upgrade from XP. Despite all that, Windows 7 didn’t overtake Windows XP in popularity until just a few months ago. With the highly mixed response Microsoft has had to Windows 8, it’s tough to say how long-time users will respond to the approaching deadline.